Conquer the Day
by aheartmadefullmetal16
Summary: In response to an anon prompt on tumblr. Roy and Havoc are still in the hospital, and Riza is having troube erasing the events of Lab Three from her mind. Oneshot, Royai, set somewhere inside ep 21, "Advance of the Fool".


_**A/N:**_ _This was in response to an anon prompt on tumblr._

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 _Could you write some Royai? Whatever you'd like, be it domestic fluff or angst or whatever, but I absolutely /live/ for the way you portray their relationship and love your writing style!_

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A raw scream ripped itself from Riza's throat, and she reached out blindly in the darkness. As she awoke with a start, she found herself tangled hopelessly in her sheets, her legs suspended over the side of her bed as the cloth knotted over her skin. With a jolt she fell spectacularly out of bed, hitting the ground with a great _thunk_. A concerned whine came from the foot of the bed, and pain spiked at her limbs, waking her up rather rudely. _It's the same one again, every time,_ Riza thought wearily, sitting up and shivering. She gathered the sheets around her shoulders, and noticed belatedly that her cheeks were wet. Scrubbing her face futilely, she saw Hayate ambling over to investigate, his fluffy head tilted to the side. She ran her fingers through his fur, petting him assuredly, and stood up shakily.

The apartment was dark. The only source of light came from the window; the moon was high tonight. White light filtered through the clear panes, flooding her kitchen with its pearly glow. A sudden feeling descended upon her; it felt as though she were being doused with pins and needles. Without warning the images from her nightmares- no, her _memory_ \- roared into life across her subconscious: _the space around her was white and numbing as she collapsed to her knees and Alphonse moved to guard her; the screeching sound of Alphonse's armor being ripped off greeted her ears belatedly through her shock and tears; her heart jolted back to life in a rapid tattoo when she heard Roy's voice, livid and challenging; she struggled against Alphonse's impossibly strong arms because_ she had to stop him she had to stop him from turning into a monster _; her eyes stung as they roved over his wounds and he insisted that she and Havoc be taken care of before he was;_ foolish man, foolish foolish man _she thought as he choked the words out._

She found herself hunched over and clutching her arms, her hands cramping around her biceps. Wave after wave of dulled fear rolled across her, and Hayate sniffed her anxiously, sitting at her feet. Before she knew what she was doing her feet were moving across the hardwood floor, and her hands were un-clenching from her aching arms and flying to the phone. She dialed his number faster than she could comprehend, pressing the receiver to the side of her head, tangling the cord in her long hair. The phone rang and rang, and Riza remembered with a pang that Roy was still in the hospital. _Good thing too, that man will kill himself trying to get better so quickly,_ she thought, placing the phone back in the receiver resignedly.

She knew very well that calling Roy at a time like this was pointless. Even if she called the hospital and asked to connect to his room, something like that would undoubtedly be reported or investigated, and people would ask questions. A call from Lieutenant Hawkeye was not an option. _Maybe I could call in as Elizabeth,_ she remembered with a jolt. The dread and fear still lingered at her edges, but the remembrance of their coded personas filled her with a new sense of confidence, though it was mixed with strained urgency. She quickly dialed the hospital's number and waited for them to pick up.

It was only then that Riza realized that it was four in the morning. _Is it too early to be calling in?_ she pondered, curling the cord around her shaking fingers. She didn't have time to answer herself, for the line picked up after three rings. "Central City General Hospital, how may I help you?"

The voice on the other end of the line was female, pleasant, and much too awake for this hour. Riza cleared her throat, willing her Elizabeth voice to come out correctly. "Helllooooo! Could you please connect me to a patient's room, doll?" _Success._

"May I please ask who's calling? Who would you like to connect with?" The woman was coolly inquisitive, and Riza didn't blame her. Not that many people were apt to call at four in the morning.

"I'm so sorry, I've forgotten my manners!" Riza trilled, feeling absolutely ridiculous. "My name is Elizabeth Chenko, and Colonel Roy Mustang should be expecting a call from me."

"All right, ma'am, I'll connect you," the woman responded. There was a short series of clicks on the other end of the line, and then it was ringing again. _Maybe I shouldn't call,_ Riza worried. _He's probably sleeping, and he really needs to-_

"Hello?"

His voice on the other end of the line made Riza want to simultaneously cry and smile as wide as she could. "Good morning, Roy! It's your old friend, Elizabeth! How are you feeling?" Her voice cracked on the last word, and every curse word she knew sprung to the forefront of her mind.

"Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise!" She could hear the exhaustion in his voice, though he tried to mask it with happiness. "It's lovely to hear from you. But what are you doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Riza could feel the knots in her stomach loosening, and the feeling of pins and needles subsiding. "Oh Roy, you always take such good care of me." She forced herself to laugh. "I just thought I'd check in and see how those injuries are healing up."

"At four in the morning?"

"Why not? I was up anyway- a memory was pestering me pale- and I wanted to see if you were alright," she finished quickly. She heard a sharp intake of breath from him on the other side of the line. "Is Jean awake? Poke that old chain smoker in the side for me, would you?"

"Havoc's asleep; they gave him a pretty strong sedative for the pain," he replied, his voice going soft. Immediately Riza dropped her persona; Elizabeth was starting to annoy her. She was silent for a few moments, and Roy seemed to notice. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I'm… okay," Riza said in her own voice. _That was pathetic._ Taking a deep breath, she grudgingly started to talk. Goodness knows she hated admitting weakness, but Roy needed to know. "I- look, I had a nightmare about Lab Three and I just… needed to hear your voice."

"I'm fine, Riza, I promise." His voice was delicate and full of love, and she adored him for it. "I'm just a little banged up, that's all."

"I would hardly call stab and burn wounds being 'just a little banged up', Roy," she scolded lightly. Cheeks burning slightly, she changed her tone. "Just promise me you'll get the rest you need, alright? You need to heal up. Don't go running around."

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be giving orders?" Roy asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice now.

Riza laughed quietly, and she marveled at how relaxed she was. The panic she had felt earlier was nearly gone, and she was grateful for that. "Well seeing as you're currently bedridden and I'm your second in command I think I have the right to make some decisions for you."

It was Roy's turn to laugh. "Well, I can't exactly argue with that," he murmured. All Riza wanted to do was fly through the phone and hold him gently in her arms. She wanted to run her fingers through his soft black hair and kiss his wounds away. The ache she felt for him was incredibly strong, and it took everything in her power for her to not abandon all reason and go to him.

"You've gone away again." Roy's voice brought her back down to earth, back to reason.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wish…" She trailed off, unsure of how to end that sentence. _I just wish I could be with you? I just wish you were here with me?_ The sheets shifted around her as she rubbed her forehead. Neither of those options seemed adequate enough to describe the expansive sea of longing she harbored for him, but lucky for her, he seemed to understand.

"I know," he replied, his voice soft. "I do, too."

That simple affirmation simultaneously abated the ebb and flow within her and made it surge to unfathomable heights. The silence stretched out before them again, and both of them just listened to one another breathe on either end of the line. For now, the fear and sharp dread seemed to be gone from her, and she knew it was all because of him.

Finally, Riza knew that they had to stop talking. "We should probably go," she started. "We both need the sleep and we don't want people poking their noses in our business."

"You're right," Roy replied, and she could hear the stark reluctance in his voice. "It's back to our charades tomorrow."

Riza hated that they always had to hide everything they felt for one another while they were working or in public, but she knew he was right. "Just like always," she said, resigned to their fates. Before she could think, she stammered, "I love you. Goodnight, Roy."

"Goodnight, Riza. I love you, too."

The other end of the line went dead, but to her surprise, Riza was just fine. Just hearing his voice had infused her with the strength and peace she desperately needed. Hands no longer shaking, she set the phone back down into the receiver, and drew the sheets tightly around her shoulders. Hayate followed her dutifully back to her bedroom, where she carefully rearranged the blankets on her bed and slipped beneath them. Her whole body was warm with love and contentment, and for once, her mind wasn't buzzing. _It's all thanks to you, Roy,_ she thought, just as she drifted off to sleep.

When Riza awoke the next morning, she relished the fact that she had had the best two hours of sleep she could remember. The gorgeous golden glow of the sunrise filtered through her window, painting all the dark spaces in her apartment a welcoming yellow. That light reminded her vividly of a day long ago, one where she'd found herself up very early, and a certain alchemist's apprentice had found her atop the roof, gazing at the sun as it ushered in the new day. As she clung to that memory, she could hear his voice in her head, and for now, that was all she needed to conquer the day.

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 _ **A/N:** Leave a review! :)_


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